1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to liquid containers and, more particularly, is concerned with a liquid container having a neck with stacked annular sealing surfaces thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automobile engine compartments have become more compact over the years. A reduction in the size of an engine compartment limits the available space around an engine oil filler open end, which has made it difficult for many automobile users to lower a container of motor oil to a normal pouring position without a considerable amount of oil spillage taking place on the engine around the oil filler open end.
The inventor herein was first to recognize that a fracture pattern on a container seal has a dual function. First, it permits automatic adjustment of the internal pressure of the container to the pressure of the atmosphere by allowing air to be exchanged through holes cut therein. Second, it retains the integrity of the seal by allowing liquid stored in the container to pass through the holes only at a rate which provides sufficient time for a user to place an uncapped inverted container over a filler open end for reception of the container""s contents before drops of the liquid begin to seep out through the perforations of the fracture pattern. The seal may then be ruptured by the user squeezing the opposite sides of the container and thereby forcing liquid through the fracture pattern. For such recognition, the inventor herein was issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,504 which discloses a venting and flow control closure device that has a repeating vented fracture pattern for the dispensing opening of a liquid container. The repeating nature of the fracture pattern does not require precision indexing in the cap installation process and thereby reduces the complexity and cost of the seal installation process.
While the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,504 appears to be satisfactory in use for the purpose for which it was designed, the inventor herein has determined that a need remains for an improvement of the designs of liquid container necks toward providing a more effective seal with oil filler open ends of engine oil reservoirs when oil is being poured from the liquid container. Also, a need exists for a solution which is more comprehensive in nature which may be used with oil filler open ends of different sizes.
The present invention provides a liquid container having a neck with stacked annular sealing surfaces thereon designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. One of the stacked annular sealing surfaces on the neck of the container makes continuous contact with a corresponding liquid filler open end of a liquid reservoir, such as an automobile engine oil reservoir, when the liquid of the container is being poured from the container and thereby provides a more effective seal between the container neck and the liquid filler open end. The stacked annular sealing surfaces have different diameter sizes for use with liquid reservoir filler open ends of different sizes and thereby provide a more comprehensive solution. By incorporating the sealing feature, damaging foreign material such as blowing sand is prevented from entering the filler opening and the ensuing damage is eliminated. The sealing feature also prevents toxic fumes from passing out of the fluid filler open end to be inhaled by the user while holding the draining container.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a liquid container which comprises: (a) a container body defining an interior chamber for containing a liquid; (b) a neck having an upper portion and a lower portion connected to the container body, the upper portion of the neck defining an opening to allow passage of the liquid from the interior chamber of the container body and having means for fastening a closure on the neck over the opening so as to close the opening to prevent leakage of the liquid from the interior chamber of the container body, the fastening means extending about and protruding outwardly from the upper portion of the neck; and (c) a plurality of annular sealing surfaces defined on the lower portion of the neck below the fastening means on the upper portion of the neck and extending about the neck and protruding outwardly from the neck beyond the fastening means, the annular sealing surfaces being stacked one above another and having respective sizes which become progressively greater going from an uppermost one of the annular sealing surfaces located nearest to the fastening means to a lowermost one of the annular sealing surfaces located farthest from the fastening means for making continuous contact with a corresponding one of a plurality liquid reservoir filler open ends of different sizes that can receive the neck when the liquid is poured from the interior chamber of the container body through the neck and the opening thereof.
More particularly, each of the annular sealing surfaces has a substantially circular and flat configuration. The liquid container further may comprise a plurality of annular seals each attached to one of the annular sealing surfaces. Each of the annular seals is made of a substantially flexible material, protrudes vertically from the respective one of the annular sealing surfaces, and has a substantially circular circumferential configuration and a substantially semi-circular cross-sectional configuration. Also, each of the annular sealing surfaces and the annular seals has a radial width. The radial width of one of the annular seals being less than or substantially the same as the radial width of the corresponding one of the annular sealing surfaces.
The present invention is also directed to a liquid container which comprises: (a) a container body defining an interior chamber for containing a liquid; (b) a neck connected to the container body and having a top defining an opening to allow passage of the liquid from the interior chamber of the container body; and (c) a plurality of alternating and interconnected vertical and horizontal walls provided on the neck below the top thereof and being of annular configuration and forming a plurality of lands stacked one above another with the horizontal walls thereof facing upwardly toward and protruding outwardly beyond the top of the neck such that the horizontal walls have respective sizes which become progressively greater going from an uppermost one of the lands located nearest to the top of the neck to a lowermost one of the lands located farthest from the top of the neck for making continuous contact with a corresponding one of a plurality of liquid reservoir filler open ends of different sizes that can receive the neck when liquid is poured from the interior chamber of the container body through the neck and the top opening thereof.
The present invention is also directed to a method of temporarily forming a seal between a neck of a liquid container and a liquid reservoir filler open end during pouring of liquid from the liquid container. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a liquid container having a neck with a dispensing opening and a plurality of annular sealing surfaces defined about the neck of the liquid container and stacked one above the other and being progressively greater in diameter going from an uppermost one of the annular sealing surfaces located nearest to the dispensing opening to a lowermost one of the annular sealing surfaces located farthest from the dispensing opening; and (b) inverting the liquid container so as to insert the neck thereof into a respective liquid reservoir filler open end having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of one of the annular sealing surfaces on the neck in order to pour the liquid from the liquid container through the neck and the dispensing opening thereof such that the neck of the liquid container seeks a maximum degree of penetration into the liquid reservoir filler open end until the penetration is terminated when the corresponding one of the annular sealing surfaces on the neck of the liquid container comes into contact with the liquid reservoir filler open end and thereby forms a temporary seal between the liquid reservoir filler open end and the corresponding one of the annular sealing surfaces on the neck of the liquid container.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.